Officer convicted over girl's death

A traffic officer who drove his patrol car at 94mph without blue lights or sirens moments before knocking down and killing a schoolgirl has been convicted of causing death by dangerous driving.

Hayley Adamson, 16, was sent flying through the air and died instantly when she was hit by PC John Dougal's powerful Volvo estate car on a 30mph stretch of road in a residential area of Newcastle's West End last May.

The 41-year-old officer was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving following a five-day trial at Newcastle Crown Court.

Dougal, a qualified advanced driver, was travelling so fast he had effectively become a passenger in his own car and had surrendered "to physics", an expert witness told the jury.

Driving standards expert Gordon Robertson said he "could not imagine" a situation where Dougal should have accelerated to more than 90mph, without activating his blue lights or siren, as he was about to enter a built-up residential area.

Hayley, dressed in a white tracksuit, was walking with a group of friends at around 11.20pm when she stepped out into Denton Road.

The court was shown footage from Dougal's in-car video camera, including the moment the teenager was struck by the car and flung out of shot.

Dougal said he saw the girl and tried to brake and steer away from her, but could not. He stopped immediately after and was confronted by the girl's friends.

Dougal was on night shift when his patrol car's registration number recognition system alerted him to a suspect Renault Megane which had just passed him in the opposite direction.

He turned his patrol car round, and sped up to a maximum of 94mph, slowed slightly as he crested a hill, then saw Hayley step into his path. It was estimated that the Volvo had slowed to around 70mph when it hit the teenager.